Over, over, and over again, he’d taken her.
Fast, slow, hard, in between…
Every lovemaking session had been wildly passionate.
Almost too intense to a certain degree…
Yet, it’d been everything.
She slid a hand along her bruised nape.
A flush warmed her face again.
Without a doubt, she had many love bites.
In truth, it felt like she’d been devoured by a vampire, and she’d willingly embraced every pleasurable lust-filled feeding.
Slowly, she trailed towards the bed.
Once reaching it, she pinched up the crinkled sheet before hugging it against her body. Unsurprisingly, his masculine scent draped the material, she breathed, inhaling a deep whiff. Everything about this magnificent creature was vividly present within the space.
Of course, she was hardly virginal, and she’d had more than a few sexual encounters.
As she stared across the room blindingly, her breath hitched.
But, no man on this given Earth was like Braden “Titan” Jameson.
He lit a simmering fire in her body and soul.
A thirst that’d never be quenched…
And he’d loved her…oh, how he’d loved her…
On the bed, on the floor, against the wall, in the shower…multiple times…over, over, and over again…
She gasped softly.
In the last hours, how many times had they made love?
5, 6, 7, 8..?
She gave a satisfied look. “And I’m certainly not complaining.”
Suddenly, her stomach rumbled.
“But, our little workouts have definitely left me hungry, and its way past lunch time,” she acknowledged and headed towards the door. “Knowing you, you’re probably trying to surprise me with brunch in bed.” As she grasped the door knob, a wicked thought bloomed in her mind. “But, I think that it’s time that I surprised you, Sir Titan. How about we do experimentation with a little whip cream? Oh, and I’ll be doing the eating this time.”
***
“More hell is about to rain upon the South. What’s the scale of Ricci’s operation so far?” he probed with a frown and reared back further in the office chair. “Considering time constraints, I’m assuming not too large.”
“Their operation is in the beginning phase.” Cassius studied him closely across the desk. Clearing his throat noisily, he tugged at the denim shirt’s collar. “Right now, they’re treading light and trying to stay under the radar. My sources say they have a small scale operation in Birmingham. You know what’s next---expanding in Steele City and eventually spreading to the ATL.”
“Just a few weeks ago, Vitali and his cohorts discussed the possibilities and ramifications of a Ricci expansion in the south.” His frown deepened. “While they’ve been anticipating some interference on the Ricci end, I’m certain they weren’t thinking that it’d be this soon.” His tension grew. “Any word on if Lucinda Ricci is handling this personally?”
“Naturally, she has her most trust associates fronting it. Thing about this Ricci setup is how normal it seems. These guys could pass as your everyday typical nice guy---preppy, elite, and seemingly harmless.” Pure disgust masked Cassius’s features. “But, they’re vicious cold-blooded killers with little regard to human life.” He flicked his eyes over him quickly. “When you were in New York, how close did you and this Ricci chick get?”
“Close enough to get the hell what I wanted out of her.”
“With that, I’m guessing you’ve fucked her,” Cassius scoffed with a short laugh. “Why am I not surprised by that? Fucking and breathing are equivalent to you. On a steady basis, you need both.”
“Yes, I fucked her, and why not?” A cruel coldness masked his tone. “It was a mutual thing. We both got what we wanted out of the deal.” He released a frustrated breath. “It’s not like it meant anything. So, there’s no point in even ragging about it.”
“You know what, man? It’s okay to keep that dick of yours in your pants.” Cassius gave a fast snort. “Who am I kidding? Meaningless and pointless sex is your steady diet.” Then, he paused in brief thought. “I have another question for you.”
“And what’s that?”
“When are you going to tell Bella the truth?”
***
Giving a contented smile, she padded barefoot down the hallway.
To no surprise, he was busy working.
That was completely understandable.
After all, hadn’t all his waking hours been spent on only her?
The thought left her giddy.
For once, it felt good to act selfishly.
Still, though, didn’t she have every right to intrude, she mulled gleefully, stopping just outside the study door. Although, it wasn’t closed all the way, she raised a hand to knock. Shouldn’t she return the favor and focus solely on him?
Her smile deepened.
As if she hadn’t been doing that already---
“When are you going to tell Bella truth?”
At the pointed question, her closed fist stopped shy of the door, and her smile died instantly. The tiny crack in the door showed that he wasn’t alone. A defiant look filled his handsome features, and across the desk, Cassius faced him.
Wisely and quickly, she made a side-step and continued to eavesdrop.
So, he’d been keeping secrets?
Though, she fought to suppress the hurt, she failed to.
She forced herself to breathe past the sudden pain.
“Fuck man,” he hissed. “Keep your voice down. Bella’s still asleep upstairs.”
“What do you plan on doing? Keeping her here and fucking her to the end times?” Cassius asked with obvious disapproval. “The roads have been passable for awhile now. But, you’ve been lying to her for days, and making her believe that she’s still stranded. That’s low, down, dirty, and shameful even for you, man.”
She gasped.
The shock reverberated through her.
He’d been lying about the flooding!
And for how long!!!
“I wouldn’t exactly say that I’ve been lying. I’ve just been keeping it to myself.”
“Again,” Cassius broke in. “You’ve been lying, and when has that ever worked?”
“So, you’re a soothsayer all of a sudden? Standing for nothing but the truth? Give me a fucking break,” he snapped in a whip-like tone. “One more time, dude. Keep your nose out of my damn business. How or who I handle it with is not your concern.” He released a short breath. “Like I said, the situation is under control---”
“No, it’s not. Not as long as we’re knee-deep in Vitali’s shit. Not as long as we’re burying mother-fucking dead bodies in your backyard like we did last night!” Cassius’s voice rose further. “Have you forgotten about that---”
The air was knocked straight out of her body.
But, the truth was enough to make her bolt.
Quickly and quietly, she sped down the hallway.
When she was safe inside the bedroom, moments later, she remembered to breathe again. Still, the ugly truth stared at her straight dead in the face. “How could I have been so stupid?” Trembling all over, she pressed her back against the bedroom door. “I’m such a fool for believing that you were a different person.” Suddenly, sucking in a painful breath, she pivoted from the spot and started pacing across the room. “No, I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to let my emotions control me.” She covered her face with shaky hands. Yet, still, he breathed within her conscience. “No, I can’t stay here. I have to get out of here---just so that I can think. Somehow, I have to make sense of this.”
Coming to a standstill, she gave a panicked look, and her gaze fell on the mussed bed. At once, a myriad of inescapable feelings claimed her, ones that she wanted to dismiss but couldn’t. In quick flashes, their steamy encounters played through her mind. Every time that he’d touched her, every time that he’d put his mouth on her, e
very time he’d dipped his tongue inside of her….every time he’d been so, so, so deep inside of her….
But, nothing of what they shared was the truth.
“We are a lie,” she whispered painfully, fighting against the terrible and open dismay. Still, the dismal feeling claimed her heart and soul. “I turned a blind eye to the truth of what and who you are. How could I do that? What does that make me?” The tears burned her eyes. “You are your father’s son. Like him, you are a murderer. A thief. A liar. A drug dealer. A con.”
Though she said the words, they didn’t ring true in her heart.
Surely, her instincts about him weren’t wrong!
True, he held his fair share of secrets and dallied in some less than savory things. But, that didn’t make him a caricature carbon copy of his nefarious father. And while he wasn’t a saint, she couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea of him being a vicious killer. Not the hands that held and stroked her body so tenderly and gently. Not the voice that spoke of dreams and sweet nothings. Not the man who’d comforted her so tenderly when she’d broken apart when thinking of Gage.
That’s why it was preposterous to think that he was a killer!
The idea wasn’t even plausible to her weeping heart and soul. There had to be more behind him and Cassius’s dead-body burying story. It just had to be! When eavesdropping, didn’t one always only get the half tale?
She squeezed her eyes tight.
Yet, the hot tears seeped from behind her lids.
And they’d slept together countless times.
But, it’d been more than sex.
A deep intimacy had exuded with their every encounter.
Their fiery chemistry was all too real.
A true passion such as theirs could never be faked.
Together, they’d opened to another so much…so freely and willingly…
With each other, they’d found a sweet solace and never-ending paradise.
“A place that I’ve never ventured to with another man,” she whispered tearfully. “…and never will. You’re the only man capable of causing such vulnerability within me.” She stared blindingly across the room. “How am I going to fix this? If I don’t, only heaven knows what’ll happen.”
***
“Asshole, what did I say about keeping your voice down?” he scowled, throwing a cautious look towards the door. “Bella’s had a long night and needs her rest.”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that. Seeing as you’re half-assed naked, it’s a given that you’ve been a busy boy.” A mischievous light played in his dark eyes. “Damn man, did you get mauled by a wildcat last night? Look at all of those mother-fucking scratches on your neck---”
“Your petty jealousy is showing, dude. If you’d quit counting all the squirrels, foxes, and hounds in these damned woods, you could find a woman. Don’t hate because you ain’t getting shit.”
“Ouch,” Cassius chuckled with open humor. “Hitting below the belt, and being a straight up motherfucker about it, too. Damn, you didn’t have to say it like that.”
“Quit being a bully, and I just might,” he laughed himself. Then, standing, he moved from behind the desk before making way for the wet bar. Though he blew a fast breath, the guilt compounded deep in his chest. Quickly, he grabbed a liquor bottle from the shelf, and to his surprise, his hand shook. From what, he didn’t know. Forcing his hand to still, he poured the alcohol into the glass. “And I will tell her the truth---just not right now.”
His friend eyed him knowingly across the room. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“What?” he scoffed with a raised brow. “Please spare me your philosophical bullshit. I’m not here for it.”
“You really have it bad for this girl.” After bounding from the chair, Cassius strolled across the room and assumed a nonchalant prop against the wet bar. Fixating his dark stare towards the laden shelf, he inclined his head towards the white liquor. “Pour me one---straight whiskey.”
With ease, he complied. “Still burning your guts out, I see.”
Throwing the shot glass back, Cassius downed the drink before slapping it back onto the counter. “Don’t change the subject. Again, you’re falling for her, right?”
“Know it sounds crazy, man. But, I feel like I’ve been waiting for her my entire life. She fulfills something within me that’s been missing before. It’s a feeling that I can’t even explain right now---it’s just there,” he confessed openly, bracing both hands against the counter, and then released a heavy sigh. “You know what? Happiness is an idea that I never entertained before. But, in the short time that I’ve known her, she’s done just that-----made me happy.”
Cassius raised a brow. “I don’t know what to say, man.”
“That’s a first.” He stared at his friend point blank. “It’s like I’m obsessed or some shit. All I can think about is her. More than anything, I want her.” The frustration in him boiled over. “But, this situation with the Ricci gang----hell, my whole life---is killing any chance that I might have with her.”
“Even assholes like us deserve something, don’t we?” Cassius countered. “Listen man, while I’m not 100% sold on her right now, it’s obvious that you do have some feelings for her. Don’t let Vitali or anyone stop you from claiming something for yourself. If she’s what you truly want, go after her.”
“For once, your philosophical bullshit actually makes since,” he muttered with a half-grin, one that died quickly. “But, again, the Ricci heat---”
“No, you worry about winning your girl, and getting whatever ammo you can on Vitali,” Cassius said with a firm shake of his head. “I’ll take full control of this Lucinda Ricci situation.” He extended a closed fist towards him. “We straight on this situation?”
“Straight,” he remarked quickly and returned the fast fist bump. “Now, get your ass out of here. As long as you’re here, I won’t be winning shit.”
Chapter 11
A short time later, she was somewhat composed.
But, as soon as the bedroom door flew open, she sensed his presence immediately, and privately, she pondered the vague notion of survival. For at the moment, it seemed that she was dying a slow mental death.
Forcing a straight face, she turned away from the bed and faced him. A roguish charm exuded from him as he stood within the threshold. Yet, there was more---his dark and wild need for her. At the sight of his naked hunger, she nearly faltered, and once more, she questioned things.
Through and through, he was an inexplicable enigma.
A magnificent being with a thrilling and intoxicating vibe…
So, how could he be monstrous?
Even worse---a cold, deadly, and heartless killer?
Again, it wasn’t even remotely possible!
Not her Braden…
Not the man who literally breathed life into her…
Not the man who completely rocked her world…
Suddenly, looking at him, it hurt to breathe.
“I’m missing you, damsel,” he said hoarsely, giving a serious look. His gaze slid slowly over her near naked figure. “So, why in the hell are you here instead of my bed?”
“I---I thought that,” she stammered nervously. “...maybe we needed some time alone. For hours now, we practically haven’t left each other’s side. Perhaps, you’re sick of me.”
“In a million lifetimes, I’d never tire of you.”
Dumbfounded, she stared back at him speechless.
The man that faced her was real.
This was her Titan.
Still, though the outside world shouted that he was a con.
A sick and twisted murderer…
Yet, why was her foolish heart fluttering?
Why did she desperately want the very man the world feared?
Perhaps, it was some weird form of self-punishment.
No---the real truth breathed.
She wanted him.
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
A raw t
hrill chased through her as he twisted the lock.
But, rather than crossing the room, he propped his back against the door. Like a caged animal, he watched her. Already, the naked hunger and need played on his face. Yet, there was something more---vulnerability.
The very sight of it rocked her to the core.
She trembled uncontrollably.
Again, without a doubt, he was being real with her.
And wasn’t that a good thing?
For wasn’t she supposed to be playing a damning part?
The art of seduction was part of the greater scheme.
She was failing miserably, though, she breathed unevenly.
For what they felt between them wasn’t a con.
Together, willingly, they were playing a dangerous game.
Opening themselves to a tumultuous passion that was truly uncontrollable…
Submitting to the realness of them…
And wasn’t that the major problem?
Selfishly, she wanted it all.
Fighting against their powerful attraction was the last thing she wanted.
Still, she tried to.
“What do you want?” she asked somewhat breathlessly.
His one whispered word was rough and unsteady. “You.”
Another thud beat hard against her chest.
Her eyelashes fluttered nervously.
Oh, turning against him would be impossible.
“But, I’m not going to make the same mistakes and assumptions like before,” he murmured huskily, eyeing her with a steadfast closeness. “So, I’m going to ask first. Can I approach you?”
She tilted her chin. “Why wouldn’t you be able to?”
“For once, damsel,” he muttered with a crooked smile. “Can you take it easy on me?”
He pushed away from the door.
In a sexy gait, he strolled across the room, and as he drew closer her foolish heartbeat galloped at a fast pace against her chest. There was a look in his eyes, one that magnetized her beyond redemption. Her dangerous feelings clouded any judgment or thought that she had against him. Heaven help her, perhaps, she was a jaded one. Despite the truth, despite what he was, she wanted him past anything and everything.
Rise of the Titan Page 25
